Germany’s dual education system: The assessment by its subjects

Introduction. The dual system of VET, widely practiced and popular in Germany, serves as a model for the European Union. The effectiveness of such training, successfully combining the development of theoretical knowledge with the practical activities of students, has been tested by life and time. The indisputable advantages of this system include its ability to respond quickly to the challenges of globalisation and transformation in the world of professions. In this regard, it is very important to address the socio-cultural and historical backgrounds of the dual system formation and to find out the reasons for its successful contemporary functioning.The aim of the present publication was to comprehend the implementation experience of theGermany’s dual system based on the opinions analysis of experts and participants of the dual education system and the feedback from the direct participants of the educational process about this method of acquiring a profession and building a career path.Methodology and research methods. The leading research methods were questionnaire survey, comparative analysis and content analysis of empirical materials. Processing and generalisation of the detailed answers of respondents were based on the inductive method.Results. Historical, mental, socio-economic prerequisites for the appearance and formation of the Germany’s dual education system were identified and described. The methodology and methodological tools for the comparative analysis of attitudes of educational process members (students, practitioners, experts) and their points of view concerning degree of rationality, expediency and efficiency of support and development of dual forms of vocational education. The obtained data and synthesis of evaluative judgments of informants allow us to present an objective picture of the considered option for providing the country’s economy with the necessary labour resources.Practical significance. The materials of the article, confirming the prospects of the introduction and dissemination of the experience accumulated inGermany on the reproduction of skilled workers of enterprises, can be useful for understanding the directions of VET in other countries. Moreover, the research materials can be practically applied for the selection and creation of effective, similar to the German, mechanisms of rapid response to globalisation changes in the manufacturing sector.Введение. Широко практикуемая и популярная в ФРГ дуальная модель профессионального образования служит образцом для всего Европейского Союза. Эффективность подготовки рабочих кадров, удачно сочетающей освоение теоретических знаний с производственной деятельностью обучающихся, проверена жизнью и временем. К бесспорным достоинствам данной модели относится ее способность оперативно реагировать на вызовы глобализации и трансформации в мире профессий. В связи с этим весьма актуальны обращение к социально-культурным и историческим основам формирования дуальной системы образования и выяснение причин ее успешного современного функционирования. Цель статьи заключается в осмыслении немецкого опыта реализации программ дуальной подготовки специалистов через изучение мнений экспертов и отзывов непосредственных участников образовательного процесса о подобном способе приобретения профессии и построения карьерной траектории. Методология и методы. Ведущими методами исследования являлись анкетирование, сравнительный анализ и контент-анализ эмпирических материалов. Обработка и обобщение развернутых ответов респондентов производились с опорой на индуктивный метод. Результаты. Определены и описаны исторические, ментальные и социально-экономические предпосылки возникновения и условия становления дуальной системы обучения в Германии. Разработаны методология и методический инструментарий для сопоставления установок субъектов образовательного процесса (студентов, практиков, экспертов) и их точек зрения по поводу целесообразности поддержки и продуктивности развития дуальных форм профподготовки. Полученные сведения и синтез оценочных суждений информантов позволяют представить объективную картину обеспечения экономики страны необходимыми трудовыми ресурсами. Практическая значимость. Проведенное исследование подтверждает перспективность распространения накопленного в ФРГ опыта по воспроизводству квалифицированного рабочего персонала предприятий. Результаты изыскания помогают более четко понять направления реформирования систем профессионального образования других стран, выбрать наиболее действенные механизмы модернизации этих систем и создать с учетом национальной специфики гибкие рациональные структуры профподготовки, адекватно отвечающие на глобализационные перемены в производственном секторе.Введение. Широко практикуемая и популярная в ФРГ дуальная модель профессионального образования служит образцом для всего Европейского Союза. Эффективность подготовки рабочих кадров, удачно сочетающей освоение теоретических знаний с производственной деятельностью обучающихся, проверена жизнью и временем. К бесспорным достоинствам данной модели относится ее способность оперативно реагировать на вызовы глобализации и трансформации в мире профессий. В связи с этим весьма актуальны обращение к социально-культурным и историческим основам формирования дуальной системы образования и выяснение причин ее успешного современного функционирования. Цель статьи заключается в осмыслении немецкого опыта реализации программ дуальной подготовки специалистов через изучение мнений экспертов и отзывов непосредственных участников образовательного процесса о подобном способе приобретения профессии и построения карьерной траектории. Методология и методы. Ведущими методами исследования являлись анкетирование, сравнительный анализ и контент-анализ эмпирических материалов. Обработка и обобщение развернутых ответов респондентов производились с опорой на индуктивный метод. Результаты. Определены и описаны исторические, ментальные и социально-экономические предпосылки возникновения и условия становления дуальной системы обучения в Германии. Разработаны методология и методический инструментарий для сопоставления установок субъектов образовательного процесса (студентов, практиков, экспертов) и их точек зрения по поводу целесообразности поддержки и продуктивности развития дуальных форм профподготовки. Полученные сведения и синтез оценочных суждений информантов позволяют представить объективную картину обеспечения экономики страны необходимыми трудовыми ресурсами. Практическая значимость. Проведенное исследование подтверждает перспективность распространения накопленного в ФРГ опыта по воспроизводству квалифицированного рабочего персонала предприятий. Результаты изыскания помогают более четко понять направления реформирования систем профессионального образования других стран, выбрать наиболее действенные механизмы модернизации этих систем и создать с учетом национальной специфики гибкие рациональные структуры профподготовки, адекватно отвечающие на глобализационные перемены в производственном секторе.Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project № 18-013-00695A)РФФИ (проект № 18-013-00695А

Dual System of Education in Germany: Historical Context

The article deals with the genesis of the dual system of education in Germany in the historical context: from medieval craft guilds and the formation of Protestantism labour ethics to modern problems associated with the globalization of the educational space, the digitalization of the economy and production, migration crises. It is shown that the dual education in Germany is a unique system, (1) having the established technological parameters of the ratio of theory and practice, the contract interaction of the student and the employer, the economic support of the learning process; (2) based on the paradigm of labour education; (3) involving social partnership of vocational schools and industrial enterprises, supported by the Federal government and the Government of Germany States, Federal Institute of vocational education, public organizations. The stages in the history of the development of the dual education in Germany are described: a creation of the labour schools during the early and ascetic Protestantism, the emergence of the educational theory that combines the idea of work ethic and moral culture in the era of pragmatic Protestantism, Kerschensteiner’s reform of labour (national) school in the era of neo-Protestantism, disintegration of education in the era of world wars and ideological crises, the revival of the dual system of education and its problems in the era of globalism. The results of the analysis of historical and pedagogical research of Russian and foreign authors, official normative legal documents regulating the process of dual education in Germany, the materials of the Congress on professional education, held in Berlin in June 2018 are presented, which allowed to determine the patterns and prospects of development of the dual system of education in Germany

The influence of reflexive educational environment on students’ reflection development in the process of social adaptation

The topicality of the research is caused by the necessity to overcome contradictions between the traditional environment of educational institutions and the socialization of future graduates related to their mental world creation, to finding their identity in terms of civilization change and the rapid development of digital technologies. The aim of the study lies in defining the additional functions of the reflexive educational environment and its influence in the formation of students’ reflexive abilities and their understanding of the relationship between reflection and adaptation process in society. The leading method to investigate this problem (issue) is the reflexive method, including introspection, self-analysis, existential techniques of ‘self-exploration’, a dialogical communicative technique that allowed identifying, through content analysis of reflexive and analytical essays of students, the types of adaptive orientations (and the reflexive repertoires based on them) from which, as they integrate, a reflexive personality style is developed. It is established that the reflexive repertoires used in the process of self-identification correspond to the four adaptive attitudes of the person: homeostatic, hedonistic, rationalistic and pragmatic. Social adaptation is manifested in a conscious change in behavior and one’s own life support system, in creating a new environment of social existence, and is accompanied by a transformation of consciousness and self-awareness. In this case, reflection is the main means of these changes and the integration of reflexive repertoires and of formed reflection levels (narrative, dialogical, cognitive and axiological) are the factors influencing the outcome of social adaptation. The results of the research are aimed at solving the problem of creating a reflexive educational environment for students’ personal development and at choosing effective ways and mechanisms for their adaptation and self-realization in society. The materials of the study can prove useful both for theoretical research of reflexive thinking development in a specially created educational environment and for the teaching activities, including a foreign language.Keywords: reflexive educational environment, reflexive orientation, reflexive repertoires, social adaptation

Methodological and pedagogical potential of reflection in development of contemporary didactics

Applicability of the issue under research is preconditioned by the need of practical pedagogics to expand methodological and methodical tools of contemporary didactics. The purpose of the article is to detect the methodological core of reflection as a form of thinking and to provide insight thereinto on the basis of systematic attributes of the didactic method. The leading approach to research into this issue is a conceptual genetic approach which enables comprehensive examination of reflection as a form of thinking that provides for generation of new ideas, knowledge and transformation of activity. The main deliverables of the work are that the main interpretations of reflection, its ontological attributes are provided, the core of the method as a way of research into the object and management of activity is described, the didactic method is defined, and the attributes thereof which enable substantiating the reflexive method as a didactic one and describing reflexive techniques are detected, thus allowing introduction of reflection into the categorical framework of the pedagogics. The contents of the article may be of use for theoretic research and are of practical value for pedagogues as they enable developing techniques on the basis of the reflexive method and introducing them into the pedagogical practice. © 2016 Chupina, Pleshakova and Konovalova

Use of Microwave Radiometry to Monitor Thermal Denaturation of Albumin

This study monitored thermal denaturation of albumin using microwave radiometry. Brightness Temperature, derived from Microwave Emission (BTME) of an aqueous solution of bovine serum albumin (0.1 mM) was monitored in the microwave frequency range 3.8–4.2 GHz during denaturation of this protein at a temperature of 56°C in a conical polypropylene cuvette. This method does not require fluorescent or radioactive labels. A microwave emission change of 1.5–2°C in the BTME of aqueous albumin solution was found during its denaturation, without a corresponding change in the water temperature. Radio thermometry makes it possible to monitor protein denaturation kinetics, and the resulting rate constant for albumin denaturation was 0.2 ± 0.1 min−1, which corresponds well to rate constants obtained by other methods

Combination of atomic force microscopy and mass spectrometry for the target protein in the serum samples of children with autism spectrum disorders

Показана возможность детекции целевых белков, ассоциированных с развитием аутистических расстройств у детей, с помощью комбинированного метода АСМ/МС. Метод основан на комбинации аффинного обогащения белков из биообразцов, их АСМ-визуализации и МС-анализе с количественной детекцией целевых белков.Possibility of detection of target proteins associated with development of autistic disorders in children with use of combined AFM/MS method is demonstrated. The proposed method is based on the combination of affine enrichment of proteins from biological samples, visualization of these proteins by AFM and MS analysis with quantitative detection of target proteins.Работа выполнена при поддержке гранта РНФ 14-25-00132. Шумов И.Д. является получателем стипендии Президента РФ молодым ученым и аспирантам, осуществляющим перспективные научные исследования и разработки по приоритетным направлениям модернизации российской экономики на 2016-2018 годы (СП-4280.2016.4)

Vocational Education Systems in Germany and Turkey: Comparative Analysis

Globalization challenges, which affected the geopolitical and economic processes, labor market transformation and education Internationalization have shaped the urgency of the problem. The purpose of the article is to compare vocational education systems in Germany and Turkey (using the dual system as an example) in order to identify the possibilities of transferring ideas and practices of the dual education system. A comparative analysis is the leading research method, which uses the context, transfer and forecasting methodology. Description and comparison of the context main elements allow determining the possibilities and conditions of the dual education system transfer. The findings provide an opportunity to identify transfer risks and predict the consequences of borrowing. The research results significance consists in context, transfer, and forecasting substantiating as the comparative analysis elements and applying this methodology to the processes of professional education

The Academic Staff Stimulating Conditions and their Influence on the University’s International Appeal

The paper is aimed at finding the ways for stimulating the professorial teaching staff at foreign universities and the resulting effect of such stimulation on the university’s international image and prestige. This issue is especially relevant in the context of Bologna Agreement and the Russian universities entering the global education area. The authors point out the following aspects of academic staff stimulation: material incentive, moral encouragement, improving the work environment, opportunities for professional growth, etc. In the course of the comparative analysis of foreign research materials, they single out the recruitment criteria and opportunities for career development as stimulating the academic stuff activity both in Russia and abroad; the conformities of the above processes being demonstrated. In the conclusion the authors maintain that the social well-being of the academic staff is closely related to the university’s image. Therefore, it is recommended to balance the staff remuneration with the intangible reward package, career opportunities and flexibility in research and teaching activities

Methodology of professional self-reflection development (on the example of management activity)

The effectiveness of management personnel, their ability to professional communication at the level of self-organization, their analytical and predictive abilities are determined by culturally organized self-reflection which promotes the realization and development of the innovative potential of the individual. The aim of the research is to theoretically substantiate reflexive self-organization in managerial activities, to develop and implement a professional module on the reflexive thinking of management personnel, and to identify effective methods for the development of professional reflection. The general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalization, formalization and lan-guage schematization) and specific-scientific (observation, comparative analysis, questionnaires, tests) methods were used. They allowed obtaining an integral picture of the influence of reflection on the success of professional and social activity and creating conditions for the further development of reflection, personal qualities and the formation of an emotional and value-related attitude towards the activity. The article defines the essential features and functions of reflection, reveals the content of the reflexive method, establishes the links between the elements of reflection (analysis, criticism, standardization) and traditional types of managerial activity: goal-setting, support, correction and control of activity, and describes levels of reflexive thinking in managerial activities. The theoretical substantiation of the problem of reflexive self-organization and its solution in the course of realization of the professional module in undergraduates of the field 'State and municipal management' is presented in the paper. Practical significance lies in creating a professional module aimed at developing reflection and implemented in the form of organizational and activity game, as well as diagnostic techniques for measuring the level of reflection. © 2018 Authors